Rochester, NY suggestions
August 10, 2024 9:16 PM Subscribe
two aging punk rockers going to Rochester next weekend. Have a laundry list of places we intend to try and get to. Any unusual suggestions of something we haven't thought of we should do?
Here's what we have so far:
House of Guitars
Oldest miniature golf course
Genesee brewery
waterfalls
many record shops (record archive, needle drop, etc)
garbage plate
bug jar
Anything fun we don't know about? we know about Kodak and Susan B Anthony stuff but aren't that excited about either of those. Food, music, art, weird, unusual, any suggestions welcome, thanks! We're coming from Cleveland, Ohio, so things on the way there or back could be considered too!
Budget is moderate, but will entertain anything
Here's what we have so far:
House of Guitars
Oldest miniature golf course
Genesee brewery
waterfalls
many record shops (record archive, needle drop, etc)
garbage plate
bug jar
Anything fun we don't know about? we know about Kodak and Susan B Anthony stuff but aren't that excited about either of those. Food, music, art, weird, unusual, any suggestions welcome, thanks! We're coming from Cleveland, Ohio, so things on the way there or back could be considered too!
Budget is moderate, but will entertain anything
You HAVE to go see the Museum of Play. It will surprise you, I promise.
posted by MiraK at 9:54 PM on August 10 [3 favorites]
posted by MiraK at 9:54 PM on August 10 [3 favorites]
Frederick Douglas is buried at Mt Hope Cemetery in Rochester.
posted by Toddles at 10:12 PM on August 10 [4 favorites]
posted by Toddles at 10:12 PM on August 10 [4 favorites]
Best answer: You can go to the top of Cobbs Hill Reservoir and get a pretty great view of Rochester. That's free.
Mt Hope Cemetery is a pretty neat place to walk around, even if you aren't looking for the graves of Susan B Anthony or Frederick Douglas or my grandparents (please tell them hello). Also free.
You can go to the shore at Lake Ontario and eat frozen custard and white hots at Don's Original. It's very close to Seabreeze, a very old, small amusement park near the water. You can also walk out on a short boardwalk on the lake. But the frozen custard and white hots are very Rochester (as my grandparents at Mt Hope could tell you), and Don's is an old school diner.
You said you aren't into the Kodak stuff, but if you're at all interested in early photography, the George Eastman House is pretty neat.
Monroe Ave is a long-established alt shopping district. It's been ages since I've been there, but Archimage was always one of the main destinations. Maybe someone who lives there now can chime in and let me know if that's changed.
posted by bluedaisy at 11:07 PM on August 10 [1 favorite]
Mt Hope Cemetery is a pretty neat place to walk around, even if you aren't looking for the graves of Susan B Anthony or Frederick Douglas or my grandparents (please tell them hello). Also free.
You can go to the shore at Lake Ontario and eat frozen custard and white hots at Don's Original. It's very close to Seabreeze, a very old, small amusement park near the water. You can also walk out on a short boardwalk on the lake. But the frozen custard and white hots are very Rochester (as my grandparents at Mt Hope could tell you), and Don's is an old school diner.
You said you aren't into the Kodak stuff, but if you're at all interested in early photography, the George Eastman House is pretty neat.
Monroe Ave is a long-established alt shopping district. It's been ages since I've been there, but Archimage was always one of the main destinations. Maybe someone who lives there now can chime in and let me know if that's changed.
posted by bluedaisy at 11:07 PM on August 10 [1 favorite]
Dogtown is an alternate place for hot dogs with a crazy variety of toppings, and controversially, their garbage plates often get top rankings. It also has a punk vibe, IMO. It’s near Archimage on Monroe, too. House of Guitars is special, but hard to browse if you really want to dig for records. Record Archive is much more browsable. Needle Drop moved last year to Monroe Ave, so now Needle Drop, Bop Shop and Hifi Lounge are all conveniently located within a 1/2 mile stretch. If you are into board games, Millenium Games expanded and moved to a huge new spot in Henrietta. It also feels like a place where weirdos and norms can happily intersect. The Rochester Public Market is pretty great too.
posted by chr1sb0y at 3:24 AM on August 11 [1 favorite]
posted by chr1sb0y at 3:24 AM on August 11 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Oh yeah! Artisan Works is a crazy massive eccentric collection of art and fun stuff. It’s hard to describe but worth a visit, and it’s around the corner from Record Archive, 2 miles from Needle Drop & other record shops.
posted by chr1sb0y at 3:30 AM on August 11 [2 favorites]
posted by chr1sb0y at 3:30 AM on August 11 [2 favorites]
If you want a unique walk, try Turning Point Park, or the pedestrian bridge over the river near the zoo.
posted by chr1sb0y at 3:36 AM on August 11 [1 favorite]
posted by chr1sb0y at 3:36 AM on August 11 [1 favorite]
The abandoned water tanks by the Cobbs Hill Reservoir are also worth a visit for ever-changing large scale graffiti. You can access them off the Reservoir drive which has parking, or you can walk through some beautiful woods (Washington Grove - old growth woods) - to enter there you can park with no trouble in a fancy and pleasant residential neighborhood here. Follow any path to the far side of the woods and you’ll be able to see the colorful water tanks - just head on over. Also close to those 3 record stores.
posted by chr1sb0y at 3:45 AM on August 11 [3 favorites]
posted by chr1sb0y at 3:45 AM on August 11 [3 favorites]
Seconding Strong Museum of Play. Playing your way through history of video games is great fun, even fo non-gamers.
I don't know if you can still do it, but you used to be able to get into part of the abandoned subway via an entrance near Dinosaur BBQ.
posted by evilmomlady at 4:00 AM on August 11 [2 favorites]
I don't know if you can still do it, but you used to be able to get into part of the abandoned subway via an entrance near Dinosaur BBQ.
posted by evilmomlady at 4:00 AM on August 11 [2 favorites]
Apparently I messed up almost all my links. Sigh. Here they are again:
Turning Point Park (awesome boardwalk out in the Genesee River)
Pedestrian Bridge over the river near the zoo
Abandoned Water Tanks at Cobbs Hill (graffiti fun!)
To walk through Washington Grove to the water tanks, you can park in the neighborhood here, or up by the Cobbs Hill Reservoir.
posted by chr1sb0y at 4:09 AM on August 11
Turning Point Park (awesome boardwalk out in the Genesee River)
Pedestrian Bridge over the river near the zoo
Abandoned Water Tanks at Cobbs Hill (graffiti fun!)
To walk through Washington Grove to the water tanks, you can park in the neighborhood here, or up by the Cobbs Hill Reservoir.
posted by chr1sb0y at 4:09 AM on August 11
Enthusiastically seconding Artisan Works. I went there as part of a corporate retreat (I worked for a Rochester-based company for a couple years) and I seriously entertained quitting a steady job and trying to start something similar in NYC. The only thing I've seen that's anywhere near similar are the ruin pubs in Budapest - a lot of grass-roots DIY outsider art stuffed into a repurposed space. The ruin pubs are predominantly just bars, but Artisan Works is more of an events space, and also offers studio space to existing artists as well as collecting other random art, and other random stuff. (There's a complete set of puppets used in a Federal Theater Project troupe in there!)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:58 AM on August 11
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:58 AM on August 11
If you like animals, you might consider visiting the Humane Society of Greater Rochester, known locally as Lollypop Farm. The organization dates back to 1873, making it one of the oldest animal protection groups in the US. It's located about 15 minutes outside of downtown Rochester. It houses domestic pets (dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, etc.) as well as farm animals. A dirt road starts in the corner of the parking lot and loops around the whole facility. If you walk on the road (cars are not allowed), you can see the farm animals in their pastures.
posted by akk2014 at 7:07 AM on August 11 [1 favorite]
posted by akk2014 at 7:07 AM on August 11 [1 favorite]
Other suggestion: don’t leave without getting a garbage plate. You’d probably LOVE Bug Jar, which is a weird local punk bar that has a lot of live music. I would highly recommend seeing if there’s a show while you’re here and going if you can. Go to the museum of play. If you have a rainy day see if there’s a show at the Little Theater, which is an awesome and unique local movie theater that has a mix of major, well-known films and indie films. They also have the absolute best desserts.
There are a lot of other great suggestions here but I would definitely prioritize the subway and Bug Jar if you’re going for a kind of off the beaten path alternative vibe. Have fun!
ETA I looked at the OP and saw that you did mention bug jar so forgive me lol. I’d like to emphasize though that that’s really worth checking out.
posted by Amy93 at 7:32 AM on August 11 [1 favorite]
There are a lot of other great suggestions here but I would definitely prioritize the subway and Bug Jar if you’re going for a kind of off the beaten path alternative vibe. Have fun!
ETA I looked at the OP and saw that you did mention bug jar so forgive me lol. I’d like to emphasize though that that’s really worth checking out.
posted by Amy93 at 7:32 AM on August 11 [1 favorite]
I'll just expand the "nearbys" for places that have already been mentioned, in case you want to "bundle" your destinations.
There are a couple of axe-throwing bars near The Little Theater and the Strong Museum of Play. Check their websites for walk-in hours.
Radio Social is an entertainment center with a great middle eastern menu, craft cocktails and whiskey, bowling (and some other games) and is near Artisan Works.
posted by vitabellosi at 10:34 AM on August 12
There are a couple of axe-throwing bars near The Little Theater and the Strong Museum of Play. Check their websites for walk-in hours.
Radio Social is an entertainment center with a great middle eastern menu, craft cocktails and whiskey, bowling (and some other games) and is near Artisan Works.
posted by vitabellosi at 10:34 AM on August 12
The Owl House is a lovely restaurant, fantastic food, good vibes.
posted by tangosnail at 10:56 AM on August 12
posted by tangosnail at 10:56 AM on August 12
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Dinosaur BBQ is so, so good. Their take on poutine is just wonderful. Be prepared to wait if you don't have a reservation. You might get lucky and get a table overlooking the river.
There are a number of hot-pot restaurants. Take your pick and enjoy.
Highland Park Diner.
I'm so glad you mentioned a garbage plate. The only place to get the best is Nick Tahou Hots.
If you have like 20 extra minutes on the way or on the way back, take a detour to Presque Isle in PN. It's a delightful state park. I really like beaches 9 and 10.
posted by cooker girl at 9:42 PM on August 10 [2 favorites]